Becoming customer centric: 10 experts share their top tips
Being a truly customer-centric organization takes time, effort and focus, so we asked 10 experts to share their best advice for putting customers at the heart of all operations
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Customer centricity needs to be more than a buzzword for organizations that are serious about optimizing CX. In this CX Network article, 10 experts offer their practical tips for ensuring customers remain the number-one priority.
1. Get the CX technology right
“The whole aim of integrating new technology in the business is to improve a company’s ability to engage with its customers. If the new technology will enhance the experience without the expense of losing quality of service and experience, then it is worth introducing. Otherwise, find a way to firstly improve and simplify your existing data and processes, which will make it easier for the business to integrate with legacy systems.”
Muss Haq, strategy insights manager at TSB
2. CX digital transformation is not about cost cutting
“Be very honest about the fact that digital is not a cost-cutting exercise. It is about the reality that if your brand fails to adapt, your competitors will get ahead of you in the market. With this ethos of customer need alignment driving your performance you will automatically generate business results.”
3. Involve people across the whole organization
“Some people suggest getting the CEO mandate and then basically steamrolling the organization [toward customer centricity], but I would heavily advise not to do that. In essence, find the ambassadors, find the ones that want to work with you, go to those first and wait until your program has momentum before you tackle the sceptics.”
Anders Normann, senior director of customer experience at DSV Panalpina
4. Close the gap between real CX and perceived CX
“Most companies remain painfully unaware of the gap between the experience they believe they are providing and the experience the customer actually receives. Companies that seek to close that gap will need to adopt new CX business processes and technologies if they expect to remain relevant and competitive.”
Alan Webber, vice-president for digital strategy and customer experience at IDC
5. Use data for personalization
“Complete personalization at every touch point and interaction is what matters. Going beyond meeting basic expectations by anticipating customer needs through predictive analytics can be a powerful tool in creating a premium personalized experience.”
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6. Don’t forget about employee happiness
“Caring about employee experience is the only way to deliver great CX. It is a pipe dream to create happy customers if you have grumpy employees, or those who lack innovation, or think the real goal is to exploit customers.”
Fred Reichheld, creator of Net Promoter System
7. Self-service customers deserve the best user experiences
“The digital experience has significantly shifted how companies think about customer engagement. Ever-changing customer demands mean the digital customer experience must be both innovative and highly adaptable. It is more important than ever for any design or journey change to be customer centric, led by insight and designed with the user experience in mind.”
Laura Mullaney, customer director at BGL Insurance
8. Ignore customer feedback at your peril
“Such a focus will ensure that customer experiences are driven by the need to add value to the customer, rather than the company’s desire to make fancy products or services. The most valuable products and services are always those that solve the customer’s problem in exactly the way they need it at exactly the time they need it.”
Zach Reece, owner of Colony Roofers
9. Understanding customer demand helps everyone
“Without a proper and accurate forecast, we can’t understand the demand, what needs to be supplied to who and when. If it’s too much, it increases our costs and hence prices to our customers, or too little, which means we won’t be able to provide the right offering to our customers. This can have a big impact on our business and the way we serve our customers.”
Peter Grimvall, supply chain development area manager at IKEA
10. Aim for customer-centric sustainability – without greenwashing
“A socially responsible organization empathetically evaluates customer’s decisions. The most responsible teams leverage diversity and environmentalist perspectives to elevate consumer outcomes.”
Joshua Tye, senior customer operations leader at Cash App
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